"Life is like a box of chocolates...that I get to try to break."
It’s National Engineers Week – a week of recognition to celebrate the power of engineering and the people who make it possible! Each day this week we will spotlight one of our Keyport teammates as we celebrate engineers who make a difference every day.
Meet Mark Ansell, a test engineer at NUWC Division, Keyport, sees engineering as an opportunity to learn something new or unravel a tiny mystery every day.
Mark enlisted in the Navy in 2012, serving as a machinist’s mate on the ballistic missile submarine USS Alabama (SSBN 731), leaving the service in 2018. It was during his time on Alabama when the idea of being an engineer started to unfold. He described submarines as “absolute marvels of technology,” where every inch of space is designed and optimized. This fascinated Mark, inspiring him to pursue a career in engineering.
His academic journey started at Olympic College in Bremerton, Washington. In 2019, he transferred to Washington State University, where he graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. Since his time at WSU, he has gone on to earn a graduate certificate in Antisubmarine Warfare and is now working on his PhD, both from the Naval Postgraduate School while working at Keyport.
After joining the Keyport team in 2021 as a Safety/Electrical Engineer in the Safety Office, Mark soon moved to the Environmental Test Lab in the Test & Evaluation Department where he still works today, specializing in reliability and systems engineering.
For those interested in a career in engineering, Mark shares that the discipline helps you see the world around you as a puzzle to solve. He says everything we encounter works for a reason, and as an engineer, you get to figure out how.
Being a part of a team and not being afraid to ask for help are some of the most important lessons Mark can share from his experience.
“The most important lesson I’ve learned as an engineer is that almost everything works better with a team,” he says. “Everyone around you has interests and specialized knowledge, and the best way to solve a problem is to ask for help.”